As the United States pivots to Asia, disputes over territories in the South China Sea have escalated tensions and threatened regional stability.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave these remarks at the Opera House in Damascus on January 6, 2013.These are

Jerome A. Cohen says, "Beijing's pending prosecution of deposed Politburo member Bo Xilai and the recent murder conviction of his wife, Gu Kailai , have again brought China's criminal justice system to world attention."

Elizabeth C. Economy says corruption and the failure to develop rule of law in China now define much of the country's political and economic life. With Xi Jinping poised to take over, the focus should be on significant political reform.

Jerome A. Cohen says that while Bo Xilai and Chen Kegui "hail from opposite ends of China's political, economic and social hierarchies, they now have much in common, including the determination of the authorities to punish them for political reasons."

Ray Takeyh argues, "The United States will make genuine progress with Iran only when moderate leaders assume greater control of the state. An interim accord may provide time, but that time must be used to broaden the contours of Iran's political system."

Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen argue that legal safeguards remain inadequate for Taiwanese suspected of a crime on the mainland despite hopes of reform to allow greater security for detainees

Jerome A. Cohen says China's unfair criminal justice system makes a harsh sentence all but certain for Gu Kailai, the wife of Bo Xilai who is charged with murdering a British businessman.

Jerome A. Cohen asks, "As China's Communist Party elite prepare to select the country's leadership for the coming decade, to what extent does concern for the rule of law affect their deliberations?"

Activist and advocate Chen Guangcheng discusses his personal journey, human rights, and the rule of law in China.

Activist and advocate Chen Guangcheng discusses his personal journey, human rights, and the rule of law in China.

Jerome A. Cohen discusses conspiracy speculations surrounding the Chen Guangcheng case.

Jerome A. Cohen says diplomacy took Chen Guangcheng only so far.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner head to Beijing for the annual Security and Economic Dialogue, the U.S.-China relationship faces diplomatic tension over the status of activist Chen Guangcheng, China's currency, China's leadership transition, and other issues. CFR's Jerome Cohen, an expert on law and business in China, discusses the U.S. relationship with China and the implications of these tensions.

Politician Bo Xilai's sudden fall from grace unmasks long-discussed corruption within the political ranks and undermines a smooth leadership transition for the Communist Party, says CFR's Elizabeth Economy.

Jerome A. Cohen looks at various types of incommunicado detention in China, and discusses what Bo Xilai could face under "shuanggui," a widely feared internal disciplinary action that is outside the reach of Chinese law.

Stephen W. Preston, General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, gave these remarks on "CIA and the Rule of Law" at Harvard Law School on April 10, 2012.

"Flanked by the coca-producing countries of the Andes and the world's leading consumer of illegal drugs—the United States—Central America is a strategic choke point for illicit trade," writes Michael Shifter, president of Inter-American Dialogue, in a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America.

Jerome A. Cohen discusses Bo Xilai, criminal justice, and China's leadership.

Jerome A. Cohen and Jared Genser argue that the case of detained Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng demonstrates how far the Chinese government will go to suppress legitimate criticism by its citizens.